Life on the Farm
In the woods on our Tennessee farm we discovered several American Beech trees (Fagus grandifolia), which grow only in the eastern United States. This deciduous hardwood is slow growing and long lived. In some years it produces lots of beechnuts,...
You wouldn’t think that chickens and tomato plants have much in common. But over the years of growing both, I’ve seen several parallels. Some of the comparisons pertain to any living thing, but that doesn’t make them any less interesting....
Without moving its head, a duck can see horizontally all the way around, and vertically from above its bill and over the top of its head to more than 180 degrees behind its head. Ducks thus can see most of...
Peanuts develop in pods underground, in a process called pegging. When I first learned about pegging I wasn’t sure how it worked. So, of course, I had to grow some peanuts and find out. After that first trial I’ve been...
In an underused part of our barn, some years ago we constructed built-in wooden brooder boxes. They turned out to be ideal for brooding baby poultry without eternally scrounging for cardboard boxes. Not only that, but we have used them...
When a doe gives birth, her body produces milk for her kids, in a process called freshening. Most dairy goats produce more than their kids need. And they continue to produce for a while after the kids stop nursing. So...
Most goat kids are born without human help. You might, in fact, go out to check on your pregnant doe only to find she has already given birth. However, it’s always a good idea to be there during the event,...
Instead of serving turkey during holidays, at our house we serve roasted whole chicken. The size better suits our small family, and we still have plenty of leftovers for next-day sandwiches. What type of chicken? I have roasted both American...
Chickens hear better than humans. But how do they hear without “ears”? And what do they hear? In short, how and why do chickens have such good hearing? How Chickens Hear A chicken has ears on both sides of its...
As vulnerable prey animals, chickens have developed numerous defense strategies for evading predators. Depending on the proximity of a predator, the chicken’s defense strategies may be categorized as either primary or secondary. Primary Defense Strategies Primary defenses are always ready...
Chickens, like many other birds, have two kinds of bone. One contains pockets to enhance air circulation. The other stores calcium for egg production. Here’s a closer look at the two kinds of bone making up a chicken’s skeletal system...
